Matching
by Meicdon13
Summary: [Sanzo X Kougaiji LJ Community, ONESHOT] Sanzo wonders if it’s really necessary for him to go through with it but Kougaiji’s there to offer assurance and comfort. [Sanzo x Kougaiji, Kougaiji x Sanzo]


**TITLE: **Matching  
**THEME: **#9 Tradition  
**SUMMARY: **Sanzo wonders if it's really necessary for him to go through with it but Kougaiji's there to offer assurance and comfort.

**MATCHING**

"I can hold your hand if you're afraid."

"Shut up."

A laugh. "Seriously. I can do it if you want me to."

A pause. "Just…sit beside me."

"Okay."

Kougaiji and Sanzo were walking down one of the myriad halls inside Houtou Castle. The blond thought that it was a miracle that the youkai prince didn't get lost or confused but he guessed it was because the redhead was born and raised here.

Kougaiji opened a door and motioned for Sanzo to go in before him.

Dr. Fan was standing at a table at the far end of the room, preparing what she was going to use for the procedure. Something that resembled a dentist's chair was in the middle of the room. Sanzo eyed the straps attached to the arms and footrest.

Kougaiji noticed the nervous flicker of the monk's eyes and placed a reassuring hand on the small of his back. "It used to be a torture device. They removed the arms with the attached instruments but we didn't have time to remove the straps."

"How comforting," Sanzo replied shortly.

The brunette doctor turned around, the light glinting off her eyeglasses and making it impossible for Sanzo to see her eyes. "Kougaiji-sama, Sanzo-sama," she said with a small nod of her head. "I'll be ready in a moment, please sit down on the chair, Sanzo-sama." She turned back to the instruments on the table before her.

Sanzo couldn't think of any excuse to keep standing. He made his way to the chair warily as if it would sprout the arms Kougaiji had mentioned. _Maybe they didn't remove the torture devices…What if they're hidden in secret compartments and they just pop out when someone sits in the damn thing?_

He immediately dismissed the notion. Kougaiji wouldn't let anything bad happen to him anyway, so why was he so scared? He settled himself in the chair and stifled a gasp when it automatically adjusted itself so that he was in a slightly reclined position. The youkai prince sat down on a stool beside him, his hand resting on the armrest beside Sanzo's, just in case the blond _did_ want to hold his hand.

Dr. Fan, one of the few subordinates under Gyokumen Koushou who had chosen to serve Kougaiji after her defeat, snapped on latex gloves and picked up a device with a needle. It began to whir and the needle quickly bobbed up and down until it was a blur. She dipped the tip into a bottle of maroon ink and held the needle like some sort of demented pencil.

"Sanzo-sama, please turn your head to the right. It has to be done to your left cheek," she said.

Turning to face right meant that he was looking at Kougaiji. Sanzo tried not to look scared as Dr. Fan lowered the needle towards his face. He kept his expression stoic at the first prick of the needle. However he reached for his boyfriend's hand. The youkai squeezed it comfortingly and bent down so he could place his head on the headrest beside Sanzo's. "You okay?"

"Yes."

Dr. Fan was careful to copy the exact shape and placement of Kougaiji's demon markings. She made sure that the colors were exactly the same and that they looked as if Kougaiji had removed his markings and placed them on Sanzo's face.

It was a youkai custom that had been carried on throughout countless generations. When two youkai got married, they had their spouse's markings tattooed on their bodies in the exact same places. It was a way to show that they were one entity, one being with one heart. It was like having a permanent wedding ring etched onto your skin.

She had been surprised when Kougaiji told her that Sanzo wanted to have his demon markings tattooed on his face. It meant that the blond accepted Kougaiji for what he was—a demon—and that he was willing to try and understand the youkai prince's customs and way of life.

When Dr. Fan was done, she quickly wiped away the remaining drops of blood and fixed a piece of gauze over Sanzo's left cheek. "It will heal in a few weeks and even after that, you can't touch or feel it much. Change the bandage regularly or you might get an infection."

Kougaiji walked outside with Sanzo, his arms around the monk's waist. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he said with a smile.

"Hmph," Sanzo replied. He kept his eyes fixed forwards but he moved fractionally closer to his lover. Kougaiji's arm around his waist was a very comfortable fixture and he didn't want the redhead to remove it.

Kougaiji kissed the bandage on Sanzo's cheek. "Feel better?"

The monk was taken off-guard by the gesture but replied grudgingly, "Yes." Maybe if he pretended that it hurt more than it did, Kougaiji would pamper him more…

"How long did Dr. Fan say before this tattoo heals?"


End file.
